Everything has a trend to it; I don't care if it's appliances or engines. I always ask: What has a company done in the past five years that somebody's noticed?

What matters is hard work, and emotional intelligence.

You can't run a business without taking risks.

I don't buy art. I'd rather buy a beautiful location or a beautiful site than buy art. A beautiful home is like owning a beautiful painting, except you can live in it.

People put 'study abroad' on their resume. I actually like when they don't study abroad because that means they aren't entitled.

People like consistency. Whether it's a store or a restaurant, they want to come in and see what you are famous for.

I consider a merchant someone who has a certain intuition and instinct, and - very important - knows how to run a business, knows the numbers.